China's new
hypersonic weaponry may have the
potential to neutralize US
strategic missile defenses due to
its unparalleled capability of
maneuvering to avoid tracking by
radars and interceptors, military
expert Franz-Stefan Gady
emphasized.

Beijing has recently conducted
a fourth test of its hypersonic
glider vehicle (HGV), called
WU-14 by the Pentagon, which is
purportedly aimed at overcoming
US missile defense; the
distinguishing feature of this
test is that the WU-14 has
performed so-called "extreme
maneuvers," US expert
in civil-military relations and
cyber diplomacy Franz-Stefan Gady
elaborated.

The WU-14, which is capable
of delivering either conventional
or nuclear warheads, was launched
into space by an intercontinental
ballistic missile (ICBM) booster,
and then returned to Earth's
atmosphere, gliding at up to Mach
10 speed (around 7,680 miles per
hour).

During the gliding phase the
WU-14 HGV is conducting "extreme
maneuvers" in order to evade
interception and at the same time
extending the range of the
missile.

Citing US defense and national
security reporter Bill Gertz,
the expert suggested that the
WU-14 "threatens to neutralize
US strategic missile defenses
with the unique capability
of flying at ultra-high speeds
and maneuvering to avoid
detection and tracking by radar
and missile defense
interceptors."

However, US high-ranking
military officials have yet
neither confirmed nor denied
that the W-14 HGV pose a threat
to US domestic missile defense
systems.

According to the expert, the
WU-14 is likely to be carried
by China's famous "carrier
killer" — the DF-21
intermediate range ballistic
missile. A DF-21 equipped by a
WU-14 HGV ("rumored to be
called the DF-26") may extend
the missile's range to over
3,000 km (2,485 miles).

"I
suspect that the HGV is
intended more for anti-ship or
other tactical purposes than as
a strategic bombardment system
against American cities," Dean
Cheng of the Heritage
Foundation remarked as cited
by the expert, "An HGV might
help resolve difficulties
of hitting maneuvering targets
with a ballistic missile."

Still, Franz-Stefan Gady
underscored that the
development of such an
anti-ship HGV by China could
take up to 20 years, due to a
number of technical challenges.

"For
now, this is good news for the
United States Navy which
apparently will have
difficulties fielding one
of the most effective
countermeasures to HGVs —
directed energy weapons
systems — for some time," the
expert pointed out.